Amazed at this?! I get through the market sometimes in 20 minutes!!

What do I do to get in and out of the market fast? I will tell you, but first...

If you like to go to the market, take your time, and enjoy shopping, then go for it. But if you are like me, I like the task simplified!

Why you ask? I want more time for other things! Pretty simple, right? I’d like to be efficient with my time in the market, get healthy foods (mostly), that I eat and not throw away (mostly), and then in turn have more time for family, friends, personal self, hobbies, and so on…

Apple pie anyone? Oh it's summer, top it with ice cream, right?

Okay, here we go:

Plan your meals:

One key to my speedy market success is planning out my meals and recipes. I don’t mean every single meal, every single day, but rather a general idea of the best foods for me! I write out my favs, what I use the most, what I tend to use up and not throw away. I have that all on a list and then I glance at it before I write my shopping list.

Organize your recipes:

Brings me to where to save my recipes. I have some old recipes and I even use my more than 30 years old (aahhhh) Betty Crocker cookbook for apple pies. Only recipe I use for pie crust, apple, and blueberry pies. oooohhh I can just taste a nice piece of those pies! …. Okay, back to storage of recipes. New ones I come across are mostly saved on Pinterest, bookmarked, or screenshots put in a folder on my desktop. If I’m in the hair salon or doctors office and I find a recipe, I’ll take a picture and then end up putting in my folder on the desktop! Oh so many options!

Back to my market excursions! ;)

Plan shopping order:

I start at the milk case, which at the market I usually go to, is at the far right hand corner and I work my way along the cold cases with the rest of the dairy, then meats, then the produce and deli. As far as the isles, I grab items from them in between. Check those signs! Some markets have the item lists at the isle ends that tell you which isle products are in. Previously, when I started with the isles, I‘d go back and forth and somehow spend more time running in circles! Now my “round the store” and “quick isle run down” has been getting me in and out of the market for a few weeks now. Yay!!

Choices, choices, choices… Plan choice of brand ahead:

It’s great we have so many when we need a specific item, but do you want to just scream sometime and say, “Which one do I buy?”
Attempting to be speedy here, I will either research ahead on line for a particular brand with specifics, so I know what I want, and just grab it! :)
No time for research? Grab what’s on sale! Saving money is always good, right?

What’s easier, scanning or not?…

Another decision to make: the check out. Ah yes, to scan or not to scan? Self check out or not? Paper or plastic or your own? (Well, last one is pretty simple! Whichever you choose!)
But for scan or not, I found that using the scanner to scan the items while you shop, CAN make check out very quick, until you get that random audit. So it’s not always so quick.

Self checkout or cashier’s line?…

Then do you go through self check out or not? If a lane is open with a cashier, I go to that. If the lines look too long but the self check out is available, I go there. But I have to say, I find either is about the same unless I have a rather big shopping with lots of items. Then I’d go to the cashier. I like to chit chat too. If you don’t, maybe self checkout is better even if there are annoying computer issues or technical difficulties sometimes!

Lastly ~
Find the quiet time to shop:

The time of day helps my speedy shopping journey. Early or later in day is usually less hectic. It’s even nicer outside. Maybe see the sunset later or birds chirping early!
And I do my best to avoid Saturdays if possible.

Now do I always follow these tips? No... But most of the time. And they work for me! Hope these help you if you are looking to make your time at the market a speedy one!!

Make your day the best you can no matter what you do. And always take time to relax! Cheers! (Sorry for the chipped nail polish but the drink was too pretty and good not to post! - Strawberry Sangria)

Til tomorrow folks! (My going gray story coming up then!) :-)